OPFS Briefing: Welfare Reform and Work Bill Report Stage

Date: 26 October 2015

There are many aspects of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill which give us very grave cause for concern. The Bill will weaken the Child Poverty Act, introduce greater conditionality and sanctions and make severe cuts to a range of social security and tax credit entitlements.

However, in this briefing we concentrate on a number of clauses as follows:

Clauses 9 and 10 which introduces a further freeze to most benefits

Clauses 11 and 12 which limits entitlement to child tax credit for the first two children only

Clauses 7 and 8 which extends the reach of the benefit cap to many more families

Clause 15 which introduces greater conditionality and sanctions for parents with children under five years old.